


Between Earth and Death

by Rapis_Razuri



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, F/M, Hades and Persephone AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 23:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8553268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rapis_Razuri/pseuds/Rapis_Razuri
Summary: She was there among the lilies and a hand over a patch of earth. Unawares that he was watching her as she pulled the sprout from the dirt and the flower from its bud. The age-old tale of how the lord of the dead fell in love with the goddess of spring.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from “Persephone the Wanderer” by Louise Glück.  
> Quick shout out to the two lovely people who got me to stop sitting on this idea and write it. You know who you are.

_This was most unusual_ , he thought.

No mortal has prayed to him in _centuries_. At least not in the way they prayed to Xander, to Camilla, to Elise… let alone the way they prayed to Corrin. Mortals sang songs of their deeds and cried their names, synonymous with honor and courage, beauty and ferocity, with reverence. In contrast, Leo was never spoken of except in whispers and his deeds would forever remain unsung. Even offerings made to him were done with averted eyes. It was something he had become resigned to, but deep down, he did envy what his brothers and sisters had. He supposed it wasn’t unexpected. He always has been a petty, jealous god, wanting to be as respected as Xander and as loved as Corrin, while being neither.

So it was quite a surprise when he heard somebody praying to him, not in the tone of someone who was in such pain that they could only beg for death, but a plea for help, for his mercy.

_We will all find our way to the foot of your throne one day, but please not today… Please, please don’t take anyone today. She knows it's a possibility, but please let her and her baby be safe... Just for today…_

The gardens of Hoshidan manor from which the prayer came was the first thing to genuinely catch him off guard since the first time he stepped into his dominion. It was fairly simplistic as far as his expectations went, mostly grass, water and moss-covered rocks. Small trees and flower bushes surrounded a pond, all coming together for a subtle, but visually pleasing aesthetic. To someone who was used to seeing the dark and dreary, he needed a moment to adjust to how bright and _colorful_ everything was. Not even Mount Krakenberg, where his siblings resided, was like _this_.

Drawing his hooded cloak closer to him, out of instinct than any real need, Leo paid the girl feeding the fish in the koi pond no mind as he made his way towards the room to which he could hear signs of activity. The bamboo door slid open, sending a black-winged butterfly aflight, and two women, one wearing the robes of what he recognized as a priestess, stepped out onto the porch. Before the elder closed the door behind them, Leo peered in, just long enough to catch a whiff of a perfumed incense and a glimpse of another woman covering the body of a fourth.

Meanwhile, the elder rested a hand on the priestess’s and murmured a few words, “It’s not your fault. You did your best today and we thank you for that. You saved my granddaughter. She would have died if not for you.”

Hugging her arms to herself, the priestess replied, “But I lost _her_. This is the first time I ever...” and Leo understood immediately. He’s never been inside a birthing chamber before, but childbirth - and the risks thereof - was hardly a foreign concept to him.

He could spare a few moments of pity for the young priestess. She must have been quite desperate to resort to praying to him of all gods, but he wouldn’t have been able to do anything to prevent it anyhow. Mortals are born, they live and then they die. It is simply how it is. He would imagine that the mother’s soul would be making her way down to his realm now where she will await judgement. Most likely than not, her soul would end up in the Fields of Asphodel where those who have lead ordinary lives go.

The two women walked away to another part of the manor to break the news to the rest of the family. Neither of them would ever know he was here, but he had no desire to stay any longer. They have a body to prepare for burial and a funeral to arrange. As for him, he _should_ be heading back to the Underworld now. He will meet the newly departed soon enough.

There was flicker of movement from the corner of his eye - the butterfly. Leo found himself watching it fold and spread its wings on the wooden rafter before it took flight into the gardens again. The girl was sitting at the edge of the pond took her eyes off the multicolored fish surrounding her to watch the butterfly flutter by, the sun’s light reflecting off its dark scales. When she turned back, she saw him.

Her eyes widened and her lips opened slightly in a questioning _o_ , but dropped her gaze soon after. She was cloaked like him, but strands of her short, rose-colored hair visible even from that angle. She dressed plainly in a white dress, but Leo didn’t have to question it. He knew another of his kind when he saw one. The Princess of Spring was also the goddess of rejuvenation and healing, if he remembered correctly (and he usually did). It didn’t surprise him that she would be drawn to this house as he was. If he was who the priestess pleaded with when it was apparent that she would lose her patient, then Sakura must have been the first she turned to when she was called upon to deliver the baby.

The mother died. He was there. Leo didn’t need to be told what she was thinking, but he felt a surge of defensiveness well up within him. Yes, he was the god of the dead, the Wealthy One, Lord of the Underworld and the Receiver of Souls and why should he be ashamed of that? Maybe it was the thought of this… nature deity looking down on him that he couldn’t stand. He squared his shoulders and straightened his posture, “Lady Sakura.”

However, as soon as he spoke her name to catch her attention, he wondered what in the world had gotten into him. It felt so easy and natural despite never speaking more than a few syllables to her before.

 _Cherry blossom_ , he remembered, without any conscious thought or effort. _That's what it means_. He had no idea why that unnerved him. She was hardly the visage of threatening, especially not with the way she startled like a doe when he called out to her. She stood up in the pond, the sudden movement creating ripples across the water and for the fish to scatter away from the edge. “Y-yes?”

“That woman,” he gestured with his head. “It was within your power to save her was it not? Why didn’t you?”

She flinched back, biting her lip and playing with the hem of her dress. “B-because… because the o-odds were s-stacked against her,” she replied. “S-she was n-never the most healthy person, e-even before her first child a-and h-her l-last pregnancy t-took a b-bigger toll on h-her t-than normal. S-she spent t-this o-one w-weak from stress and i-illness, s-so the-the Fates… the Fates have d-decided i-it was her time. I-I can’t go a-against that, n-no matter how much I want to. A-all I could do was m-make her passing as p-painless as possible… and d-delay it l-long enough for her to see h-her baby.”

That made enough sense to him. While the nuances of gynecology hadn't occurred to him until she mentioned them, the influence of the Fates were something he could understand. The incarnations of destiny were the only beings in existence more powerful than the gods. Not even the Silent Dragon was able to defy them. When told of his defeat by both Nohrian and Hoshidan gods by his own son, Anankos did everything in his power to manipulate the two pantheons into destroying each other, but in the end it was that very thing - as well the titaness Mikoto’s desire to protect Corrin when she became aware of what his ambitions were- that brought about his downfall. “It was very kind of you to help her in her last moments.”

His compliment made her blush for a moment before looking down dejectedly. “I-I d-don't know… S-she didn't give birth to a boy l-like so many hoped a-and her death w-will be a b-blow to C-Chiaki’s reputation... ”

He could see the genuine misery in her expression as she admitted this, like it was a personal failure even though she just said there had been nothing she could do. _Huh_.

“L-Lord Leo, i-if I may…” She threw the last of the food pellets to the fish and stepped out of the pond, water droplets dripping down her legs. “I-if it's not too much to ask…” She clenched her fist. “I-I k-know she is - was n-not o-one of y-your own,” she said, “B-but p-please take care of her.”

“Are you suggesting I wouldn't?” Leo found himself asking. “Why? Because she is Hoshidan?” Perhaps he _did_ make that precise mistake in his early years as Lord of the Underworld, but he liked to think he's moved past that by now. The more souls he's judged and peered into… whether they came from the East or the West seemed to matter so little in the grand scheme of things.

He ended up sounding much harsher than he intended for Sakura actually took a step back in conjunction with her haste to apologize for offending him. Despite his outward nonchalance, Leo couldn’t help but reflect on how Niles and Odin were right. Him spending all his time among dead was doing nothing for his ability to interact with the living.

“There’s nothing for me to forgive,” he muttered, feeling quite rather awkward if truth be told. “You’re a goddess are you not? Stop groveling already.”

Sakura straightened her posture, biting her lip and mumbling one last apology. She still looked unsure. Leo ran a hand through his hair, causing the hood of his cloak to fall back. By the Fates, he has never met a deity so… _humble_. It honestly left him rather nonplussed. If he had spoken like that to someone else, they would have laughed it off or responded in like.

Sighing, he decided to just let the matter go and reply to her request properly like he should have done instead of getting sidetracked. “It doesn’t matter whether someone is from Hoshido or Nohr or whichever city-state in between. She is one of my subjects now and I do my best to be fair in deciding their ultimate fate. If it will be of any assurance to you, only the most wicked and unrepentant are sentenced to the Fields of Punishment. All others will end up in the Fields of Asphodel.” _At least until they drink again from the Lethe and are reborn. Even a soul that remembers nothing cannot stand an eternity of nothing..._

To his inexplainable relief, Sakura exhaled in solace. “I-I… I-it does,” she said, “I… I n-never believed the r-rumors th-that you judged Hoshidan souls m-more harshly, y-you know, b-but… t-thank you.”

Even before she finished, her words, particularly _I never believed the rumors_ , reverberated in his mind. At this point, his reputation _was_ the rumors. “For doing my job?” He was sure to keep his wry smile on his face as he added, “In that case, should I be thanking you for guiding souls on the edge of death back to the side of the living more times than I can count?”

“I-I…” She looked about as surprised as he was at his levity, unsure if he was teasing her or not. “I’m s-sorry?”

“I see the lives of every mortal that comes to me when they die, Sakura. Some of them have led very interesting lives... ” Which ended in the Fields of Punishment, sure, but others that lived so fully that Leo felt that Asphodel was a paltry reward for their heroism, but either way… “Lives that wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for you, so thank you.”

She truly seemed to be at a loss for words now. “I-I… um,” she stammered, “I-it w-was i-interesting, t-talking to you my lord, b-but u-um… I-I have to go.” Her eyes widened in panic. “P-please don’t tell anyone y-you saw me,” she pleaded. “U-um… I-if y-you will e-excuse me!”

Even in her haste to take her leave, Sakura minded her manners, giving him a Hoshidan-style bow instead of the curtsy he was accustomed to. She straightened, just long enough to make eye contact with him long enough for him to see the shy smile on her face. As soon as she looked away, she was gone, leaving nothing but a few stray petals in her wake.

* * *

Leo had long time to come to terms with the fact that Corrin was the favorite of his family. He felt that Xander was always more invested in his training than Leo’s (though it’s more likely because Corrin’s swordplay was something Xander could assist in honing). It was an open secret that Camilla had no interest in _ever_ leading the Nohrian pantheon, so it would appear that Xander was also hoping to groom Corrin into his successor.

Xander’s training - and whatever the gods of Hoshido had taught him - ended up paying off quite well in retrospect. It was Corrin who appealed to his Hoshidan family to form an alliance with Nohr to defeat the Silent Dragon. It was Corrin who persuaded the Rainbow Sage to make weapons he and his brothers can use to defeat Anankos, and it was Corrin who managed to bring some semblance of balance between the Nohrian and Hoshidan gods when their shared enemy was locked away in Tartarus. Nohr and Hoshido were still at odds, perhaps they always would be to some degree, but compared to the distrust, paranoia, and bigotry that defined their interactions in Garon’s age, it was a step up.

Corrin was _determined_ to make sure things stayed that way if nothing else. Which led to his insistence on gathering both pantheons at Mount Gyges to promote positive relations between them on occasion. As he once said, he wanted to make sure they were able to communicate with and understand each other instead of seeing the other side as faceless enemies that cannot be reasoned with.

(Leo was pretty sure he learned that one from Izana rather than Xander, but that was neither here nor there...)

Initially, he was annoyed at being called away from his work to get friendly with the Hoshidans, but as the years passed by, Leo came to appreciate these gatherings more and more. Despite being of Nohr, Leo came to adopt a policy of neutrality in interstate conflicts. It was enough that he had to deal with the part of the aftermath everyone else considered beneath them, he didn’t need to partake in them to escalate them further.

It was because of that policy that made him something of a curiosity at best to the minor Nohrian gods, but it also created a bit of a rift between himself and Xander. Leo would love to publicly wear his pride as a god of Nohr, but his duties and his role in the universe did not permit it.

Azura’s gardens, Leo thought, was a good place to take a respite from the music and chatter of the party. The glass walls made it clear that he was still underwater, but otherwise, he had the faintest feeling of _deja vu_. Since there weren’t many gardens in Nohr to begin with, Leo would have guessed that Azura had a great say on how the garden was structured. It reminded him of the garden in Hoshido, but with stone walkways and rock formations instead of grass and trees and every inch that wasn’t stone was water. No fish it seemed when he peered down into the pools, but there were plenty of water lilies, cattails, duckweeds and a plethora of other aquatic plants.

Calling it an underwater garden would be incorrect in his opinion. It was more like a garden that was underwater. Seeing it made Leo think back on some of his more… strictly pride-driven actions from years and centuries back.

As he pondered, he heard talk coming towards him from the other end. Not wishing to be seen, Leo quickly ducked behind a pile of wet rocks. Briefly peering around the edge of the rocks to see whom it was, he felt his heart leap when he saw that one of them was Sakura. Elise had casually mentioned once how she, like Leo, was a recluse (“but _way_ less of a grouch!”) and her being present at this occasion was unusual, even if it was hosted by Corrin. He had seen her loitering around the edge earlier and she had seen him too, casting him anxious looks when she did.

He had considered approaching her to start a conversation, if only to clear the air and he likely would have… if her brother - that _insufferable_ god of wind and hunting - hadn’t been shooting him dirty looks every time he caught Leo’s eyes lingering on her for more than two seconds.

When he saw that it was the same brother accompanying the young goddess, Leo backed away in case the archer’s sharp eyes could take note of him. He pulled out the book he had been reading out of the aether, but made no real attempts at reading it.

“...go and ruin it by freaking out like that,” Takumi was saying. “It's stupid, I know. Corrin and Azura did a great job restoring this place and I don’t want to make them feel bad. But it’s just... I _hate_ just being here.”

“Big brother…?”

“I can’t unsee the ruins where that… that _monster_ lured me to in my dreams. The rest of you keep telling me it’s not my fault, but it’s not like that. Not entirely. He knows how to play people, knows my deepest desires. What would give him the best chance of turning me against you… That stupid dragon is rotting in Tartarus now, where he belongs, but sometimes, I still revisit those old halls and I can’t be sure if it’s me or if he’s still sending me dreams...”

“Takumi! W-why are you just telling me that you’re still having t-those dreams _now?_ I-I know you don’t want Ryoma and Hinoka to think you can’t handle things, b-but you can come to me, right?”

“I… I’m sorry, Sakura. I didn’t want to worry you is all.”

“B-but…” He couldn't see her, but Leo could imagine her biting her lip, looking up at her brother with imploring eyes, wordlessly begging him to let her help him. What was it he once told Corrin? That the weak attracted the attention of others while the strong stood alone… _Count your blessings, fool, and let her help you._

“But hey,” Takumi’s voice suddenly became cheerful. Leo didn’t need to be able to see - or like - him to know that he was faking it for his sister’s sake. “You did a great job with this garden though. Corrin wrote about it, but this is the first time I’m seeing it for myself. It’s like a little underwater Hoshido... ”

“Y-yeah… A-Azura loved the lake on Shirasagi and I wanted her to have a part of it here. I wasn’t sure how some things could grow so deep at first, s-so I asked Yukimura if he could make some kind of contraption to that’ll allow sunlight to shine here…”

Against his better instincts, Leo risked sneaking a look at the two Hoshidan gods. Takumi was turned away from him, thank the Fates, but he could see Sakura’s expression from his vantage point. Her lingering uncertainty at the way her brother had changed the subject was palatable, but Leo could hear the pride as she talked about her work.

His dislike for Takumi aside, Leo had to agree with him on one point. What Sakura did with the underwater garden _was_ rather lovely, but hearing her talk about something she loved and took pride in doing… he thought that was better.

Thankfully, the siblings did not come within ten feet of his hiding place, but conversed for a bit longer over trivial matters. Their chatter, their recap of some of the things they saw people do, their harebrained, half-joking ideas to get out of the party for good, didn’t particularly interest Leo. No, what interested him was Sakura’s wedding gift to Azura and Corrin. Or rather, how she created it.

_I wonder…_

* * *

The islands he could see from this window was separated from the rest of the Underworld by more than just the Lethe. They were still considered a part of the Underworld, but it was able to receive natural light from the world above. And yet, even with this unique feature, nothing lived or grew there. Just a collection of islands at the edge of the world.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you looking out on your lands like this, Leo. ”

Leo lifted his head from the black pillar he was leaning against. The goddess that had spoken appeared as a barely pubescent girl, but the truth was, she was actually many years and centuries older than he was. The goddess of magic and sorcery had sided with Leo and his siblings first against his father and then against the Silent Dragon and her aeons of experience and wisdom had proved to be of great assistance. Nyx wasn’t _strictly_ one of his subjects, but Chthonia has been her home since long before he was born and Leo would hate to be the one to exile her from it. Not after how he had been all but exiled from Mount Krakenberg himself.

“My realm is a desolate place. Nothing grows except for asphodel,” he replied flatly. “I dislike excessive grandeur, but after four thousand years, it gets a little… drab.”

“I don’t disagree,” Nyx replied, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger. “And yet it _has_ been this way since the beginning. You said it yourself. Nothing grows except for asphodel, though not for lack of trying. I've seen you make trees out of shadows, but you can't coax them to stay, not even after you have acclimated with the Underworld…” She cocked her head to the side. “It’s an interesting mystery, is it not?”

Leo flexed his hand though summoned no magic. _I’ll do what no one else can_ , he loved to boast, but even his power had limits. The Underworld has been in existence long before he was even born and despite being its ruler, there were still things he didn’t quite understand. He didn’t pursue the matter when he first descended, his powers and abilities still volatile with how they interacted with his new domain. After that particular layer of dust settled, he had been content to leave it be after his experiments with it yielded no results, but he was thinking that perhaps he should give it another try.

“It’s just a thought, but what if… I had the help of another? One whose powers are growth and rejuvenation, including that of the earth?”

“It’s a thought,” she answered at last, smiling mysteriously behind her veil. “Have you consulted this… other yet?”

Leo shook his head.

“What’s stopping you from doing so?”

“Because…” He took a deep breath. “Because I have no idea where to find her... and my magic can’t tell me.” Mount Shirasagi would be a good place to start in theory, but he knew for a fact that Ryoma was actually the only permanent resident there, just as Xander was the only one who lived on Mount Krakenberg full-time. Once he had thought about it, Leo knew his encounter with her in that Hoshidan garden had been a serendipity. He realized that he had never encountered Sakura on her own before, only ever when she was with at least one of her siblings. Even Elise, goddess of the hearth and family often visited Corrin on her own when their father had been in power. He had wondered why. Her shy demeanor seemed to be the case. Maybe she simply felt more comfortable in crowds if she was with somebody she knew?

 _Still…_ He didn’t want to breach the topic of a subterrestrial garden to her with one of her older brothers or sister breathing down his neck. He had considered asking Azura, but wasn’t sure how she would take such a question coming from him.

Instead he had tried tracking her through magical means, but _that_ had ended with him being blocked by anouther one's magic, something that had _never_ happened before, and that was what truly vexed him. He wouldn’t have dared telling anyone else, but Nyx _was_ the goddess of magic. She might know something.

However, if the comically unimpressed way she said, “Oh. Is that all?” was any indication, she obviously did not seem to think this was a problem like he did.

He pretended to let this slide. It was hardly the first time she treated him with contempt and most of the time, she had good reason for it. “Nyx… You are also the goddess of crossroads, are you not? Would you happen to know where I may find the Hoshidan goddess Sakura?”

Nyx didn’t seem surprised the slightest when he name-dropped Sakura. Leo did describe part of Sakura’s powers earlier, but he never mentioned her by name and yet, he had the feeling that this child-crone would have known whom he was speaking of even if he hadn’t. She was not omniscient nor was she an oracle, but she came close to being both sometimes.

Nyx considered him for a very long time. “I’m not surprised,” she said at last. “Even when she faded into her province, the Earth Mother is very protective of her youngest. It’s to be expected after what happened to her and her husband.”

Leo closed his eyes. “So that’s it…” He knew that story _very_ well. His father would curse and rage about many things in his fits of madness, but his greatest loathing was reserved for the woman named Ikona. The Earth Mother. Praxidike. It was ironic how nobody ever talked about her, despite how _she_ was responsible for the environmental divide between Nohr and Hoshido. Leo had been a young god then, a child by divine standards and just barely growing into his powers, but he had distant memories of when Nohr used to be as bountiful as Hoshido.

“You understand then,” Nyx continued. “No god from Nohr will ever be able to find her. That said, you might be the exception. Nymphs, naiads, _dryads_ …” There was a sharp intake of breath. “Nature spirits have their own brand of magic connecting them to the earth in a way gods of other spheres cannot understand. Even your brother understood this on an instinctive level. He wouldn't have given you this lot otherwise.”

“Nature spirit,” Leo repeated acidly. Nyx was treading on dangerous waters now, but the fixed look she gave him told him she didn’t fear his backlash. “I'm not a nature spirit.”

There was a long deep sigh from the goddess. “I have watched you become a king in your own right these four-thousand years,” Nyx said, “But you still have much to learn. It takes a tree to know a tree, Leo, and the Earth Mother knows and knew every one. _That_ is how you will find her daughter.”

* * *

 _It takes a tree to know another tree._ Nyx was frustrating at times, the way she would sometimes speak in riddles, but the advice she gave has never failed him before - once he figured out what they meant for himself, that was.

He hadn’t questioned it when the manipulation of the earth, including some of the vegetation, came to him easily when he was first learning. Trees especially, seemed to bend more easily to his will than anything else. He had thought it as proof of his own talent rather admit that it was his mother’s blood flowing through him, giving him a boon when the woman herself never did.

It’s been a long while since he has exercised those powers. In the underworld, there had been no trees for him to exploit, but the darkness bowed to his will far more easily and readily than the trees ever did. When he pressed his hand against the bark of a cherry tree, he hadn’t been sure what to expect or if he should expect anything at all.

For a moment, nothing. Then he paused by a town entrance and a push sent him to the ground. He heard somebody shouting at him to watch where he was going and his hasty attempts to apologize. A shadow fell over him and a tall red-haired man knelt to help him to his feet while a young girl in pink reprimanded the man responsible for pushing him down...

No, not him... _Sakura_.

As soon as the realization that he was seeing through _her_ eyes dawned upon him, he felt… _something_ pushing against him. Once, twice, and on the third, Leo was quite literally _thrown_ out of the vision. Disorientated in a way he never had been before, Leo had to take a moment’s pause to regain his bearings. Seeing through her eyes and recalling how it ended... His entire being knew that Sakura’s memories was something he had _no right_ to see.

“Forgive me, I didn’t mean to intrude,” he said, brushing his hand against the tree, and, knowing his instinct was usually more trustworthy than logic when it came to innate magic, added, “Lady Sakura, I only wish to speak with you is all. I believe there might be something only you may be able to help me with… I swear it on the Styx.”

Everything was silent after his last word left his lips. Pulling his hand away, he was about to call it quits when there was a gust of wind. The branches and leaves swayed and together, they seemed to speak.

_Leave your helm. Come alone. Look for me at this place…_

* * *

In hindsight, it should’ve been obvious. It _would_ make sense for a vegetation goddess to reside at a place where she would be the most powerful. He probably could have started his search with that rather than Nyx’s obscure sayings about trees and connections to nature and still ended up at the same place.

Well… _maybe._

The spider lilies at his feet have already blossomed, their narrow red umbrels made brighter by the cloudy sky. Not _as_ numerous as the asphodel he was accustomed to seeing, but there was a great number of them growing by the riverside. With his mastery over the dead, he could _sense_ that there were bodies buried here in the past if not anymore.

Sakura was already there, sitting among the scarlet flowers. With her pink hair half-hidden under a white hood and small delicate stature, she could have been mistaken for a mere nymph rather than the thousands of years old goddess she truly was.

She was holding a hand over a patch of earth. Fascinated, Leo watched a sprout emerge from the dirt, the stem growing taller and the leaves bigger and greener. A pure white flower unfolded from the bud. This, Sakura picked from the earth and raised to her nose to inhale its scent.

Not wishing to startle her, Leo softly called out her name. She startled and whirled around to face him. “L-Lord Leo?”

Navigating through the stalks of spider lilies so not to disturb them, Leo came to her side and she scrambled to her feet. Now that he was closer, he could smell the strong sweet perfume of the flower still carefully cradled in her hand. _Definitely_ not asphodel.

“I-I hope you d-don’t mind m-meeting in this p-place rather t-than in my home,” she said, her eyes lowering. “A-and I-I’m s-so s-sorry for w-what h-happened with the t-tree!” she all but shouted as she bowed to him in apologize, “I… I truly wasn’t expecting that, so… I-I overreacted. Please forgive me.”

“Lady Sakura, the fault is mine.” She had known it was him and pushed him out when she realized he was looking into her past like that. She deserved an explanation. “To tell the truth, I had no idea what would happen when I… tried to reach you.”

“Y-you c-could have just spoken to the tree.” He swore she smiled for a tiny bit just then. “I would have heard you...”

“Noted,” Leo replied dryly, “I usually don’t make a habit of talking to trees.”

“W-well, a-alright… y-you did promise never to do that again, so I-I guess we can j-just put that behind u-us.”

He swept his gaze over their surroundings again, in search of a way to open the topic he was here to address. “These flowers are beautiful. Did you grow them?”

Oh, she _definitely_ smiled just then. Nonetheless, Sakura blushed and looked down. “I-I d-did plant the b-bulbs…” she said modestly, “I-it was a l-long time ago, though.”

“Is that so?” How many years was ‘a long time ago’ to a goddess? Even with the richer soils in mind, it was fairly impressive considering how easy it was to destroy plant life. Armies, storms, _fire_ … “You see Lady Sakura, I find myself at a strait where I am in need of your talents…”

She listened closely as he explained and he daresay she looked rather interested. She bit her lip as she thought it over. “L-Lord Leo, I… I would be honored t-to help you, b-but… t-to making something grow in the U-Underworld… I-I’m not that powerful…”

Disappointment clawed at him as she said this. “Spring and plant growth, those _are_ your domains are they not?” he stressed, “I saw how you were able to instantly make that flower grow.”

“W-well… y-yes?” Sakura shuffled her feet uncomfortably. Holding the flower up a little higher, she continued, “I-I suppose gar… gardina such as this normally w-wouldn't grow in these conditions, b-but… the land of t-the d-dead...?”

“Can’t you at least _try_?”

“I…” She still seemed skeptical, but it soon disappeared and her eyes shone with determination. “A-alright. Let me try.”

* * *

He should have known this would happen. Odin had been normal enough - or at least what was considered normal for _Odin_ , anyway- upon Leo’s return, but then he laid eyes on his lord’s guest and his mouth fell open.

 _How rude_. “Odin,” Leo wearied, “I told you I might be bringing a guest back with me didn’t I?”

“Of course, milord,” the ferryman exclaimed, recovering quickly from his moment of surprise, “It has been aeons since you in the company of a lady. Has the darkness of the world below become too much for your lonely heart?”

“ _No_ ,” Leo stressed. “Lady Sakura, this is Odin. He ferries the souls of the dead across the Styx and the Acheon. Odin, this is Sakura, the… Hoshidan goddess of spring. Remember that side project I mentioned? She's going to help me with it.”

“I-I've h-heard tales of y-your bravery d-during the w-war, Lord Odin,” Sakura stammered as she bowed in greeting. “I-its s-such an honor to m-meet you in person.”

“My reputation precedes me,” Odin said, puffing up his chest, “But you needn't call me ‘Lord,’ milady for I am… Odin Dark, the chosen hero of darkness and ferryman of souls…”

Noticing Sakura’s bewildered expression, Leo cleared his throat. “Odin, I would hate to take more of your time than necessary,” he said. Gods from the above had to cross the rivers to move from one world to the next as the dead did. Realizing this was her cue, Sakura held out an obol for Odin to take as payment.

“You are most generous, milady,” Odin pocketed her fare and offered her a hand to help her into the boat. Sakura took it and murmured a quick thank you as she sat down.

Climbing in after her, Leo couldn't help but cast a glance at her peering over the boat’s side into the depths of the Styx. It’s only been a few minutes and she already seemed paler than usual and he’s not sure if it was simply the gloom of their surroundings on her or because she was having second thoughts.

As the boat drifted down the river, Leo found himself feeling grateful for Odin’s presence. For all his pomp and the way he always spoke like he was performing in a theatrical drama, Odin was an _excellent_ storyteller. Sakura’s apprehension soon faded as he regaled her with the tale of a legendary sword-seeking hero and once again, Leo found himself thinking how it was a shame that this talent, picked up and honed over the centuries through practice and effort, was wasted down here were his only audience were the souls of the newly dead.

The boat came to a halt, bumping off the Chthonic shore of the Styx. Leo unboarded first so he could help Sakura do the same. She let out a long sigh of relief once she was touching the ground again, but turned round to give Odin her thanks for the ride and the story with a sweet smile.

Odin grinned back and promised to tell her another on her way back, earning an enthusiastic “I-I look forward to it!” in response to his offer.

Catching Leo's eye, Odin mouthed _I like her. She’s a keeper_. Exasperated, Leo rolled his eyes and motioned for Sakura to follow him.

What assurance Odin had given her seemed to die out as soon as she heard the sound barking. Perhaps unconsciously, Sakura moved closer to him as Cerberus quite literally walked out of the shadows. He wasn’t growling, recognizing that she was present at the invitation of his master, but all three pairs of eyes were fierce and glowing. Sakura tensed and took a step back as the middle head sniffed at her.

“It’s okay,” Leo said, “He won’t hurt you. He’s just curious is all.” As if to prove his point, Cerberus opened all three of his mouths and barked happily, the serpent of his wagging tail barely audible over three sets. Instead of being frightened further, Sakura knelt down to his level, using both hands to gently stroke his three necks.

Cerberus seemed to like that, the two heads whose necks were being petted lazily opened and closed their eyes while the third whined and patiently waited his turn. She withdrew when Cerberus pulled away, but only to roll onto his back and whine. It was a demand for his belly be rubbed if there was one. Sakura giggled and humored him.

Three tongues lolled out of three mouths and hind legs kicked the air enthusiastically, the guardian of the dead as docile as a puppy under her touch. The Fates knew how long it took before Cerberus would be willing to expose his belly like that to _him_ , but he had been far less trained then as he was now.

The left head suddenly decided to one-up the others by licking her other hand. The laughter that followed was contagious, Leo couldn’t hold back a grin despite himself. “Sakura… Look, I hate to interrupt, but we _do_ have business to attend to.”

“R-right.” Sakura pulled her hand away, giving the three-headed dog an apologetic look. Cerberus whined again, but rolled back onto his feet when she stood.

“Cerberus, _stay_ ,” Leo commanded. He stayed, but he didn’t look too happy to be separated from his new friend. “He likes you,” he told her, somewhat unnecessarily as they walked away. “Give him a good belly rub and he’ll be your champion forever.”

“B-both my brothers have h-hounds as companions. Th-they...um…” She coughed, cutting herself off. “I-I mean… C-Cerberus is very sweet, I-I think...”

“For a three-headed dog you mean?”

She muffled her giggles with her hand. “Y-yes, e-exactly.”

“Just don’t go and spreading that information to your followers,” Leo said, only half-joking. Odin did enough of that for the sake of comforting distraught children as he took them across the rivers. “It wouldn’t do us any favors if mortals knew they could get the three-headed guard dog to heel by petting him in the right place.” _And cake. He certainly loves honey cakes_ … It had been cute when he was small enough to sleep on Leo’s lap, but now that he was full grown, it was a terrible trait for a guard dog to have.

She promised that she won’t and they were able to walk a distance in a comfortable silence until they reached the Fields of Asphodel. Sakura gasped into her hands as she laid eyes on the field and its sea of blooming white flowers going on as far as she could see.

Leo wasn’t sure how clearly she could see the shades, but her sudden shivering when one wandered too close told him she knew they were there. She was still wearing her hood, but there was no hiding her from the spirits. They were accustomed to Leo. He was their king after all and in some ways one of them, something belonging in the land of the dead having once fed on the same roots they did, but Sakura… Sakura was a presence they would not recognize in their amnestic stupor, but they would be able to sense that she was from the world they departed from and yearned to return to. It was only his presence that prevented them from coming closer to her.

As if she could sense it too, Sakura moved closer to him so their arms are nearly touching. He touched her forearm for a moment, wanting to comfort her, but pulled back. “Are you scared?” he asked softly. Was he asking too much of her by bringing her here? Maybe he should have brought Odin or Cerberus with them after all…

“N-no, n-not p-particularly.” That made him frown, but she continued. “I-it’s not as… s-scary as I t-thought it w-would be.” She rubbed her arms. “W-warmer too. I-I t-thought it would be… cold.”

“That would be because of the Phlegethon.”

“The river of fire…” Sakura had murmured that to herself. He wondered if she was thinking about where it lead. Her father was down there after all, as was the dragon still tormenting her brother. More loudly, she said, “T-these a-asphodels are v-very p-pretty too.”

This time, he did look back, half-smiling. “I’m glad,” he said and was surprised by how much he had meant it. He had thought she would find the Underworld as dreary as he did, perhaps more. The Fields of Asphodel had lost any luster for him, but this _was_ the first time _she_ was seeing it.

“S-so many flowers blooming in one place…” She reached out to a shoot and closed her eyes in concentration. It seemed to shudder for a moment, but when Sakura pulled her arm away, it had grown an inch taller and the buds appeared to be less green. She sighed, but Leo found it encouraging.

“A-and so m-many people…” Undeterred by her initial fright, Sakura took a few steps out onto the field, determined. Her eyes scanned the hundreds upon thousands, looking, searching for someone amongst the faceless shadows.

Leo lifted his hand to waist-level, wanting to call her back, but also wanting to know. He didn’t have the chance to do either as it turns out. A couple steps to the west, another few to the southeast, he could see her hanging her head and the way her shoulders slumped in disappointment. She met his eyes for a brief moment and shook her head. “S-sorry…” she whispered.

“No…” He found himself replying. _Who were you looking for...?_ He didn’t ask, partially out of civility, partially because he had the feeling he already knew. “It’s alright…” Gesturing to the opposite direction, he told her, “This way.”

“R-right!” She jogged a few paces to keep up with him, her hood fell down in her haste to rejoin him. She didn’t replace it, only reaching up to flatten some stray locks of her hair. “U-um, I-I was wondering…”

“Yes?”

“Y-you said you w-wanted a garden, so a-are there any p-plants in p-particular you would like?”

 _Huh, good question…_ He hadn’t really put much thought into that, actually. After years of trying and failing to simply get things _started_ , the end goals became rather abstract to him. “Something that produces fruit, I think,” he replied slowly, “If it flowers… I don’t have anything against white, but a little color would be nice.”

“F-fruit… Color...” she repeated, brows furrowing in thought. “T-there are l-lots of plants like that… I-I’m sure, I-I’ll be able to come up with _something_ you will like…”

“Ohhhh… like what?”

Leo, used to having his lieutenant show up out of nowhere when he was needed, hardly batted an eyelash at Nile’s sudden appearance. Sakura, however, yelped and whirled around raising a hand to the back of her neck, eyes wide. He shot her a careless smirk before waggling an eyebrow in Leo’s direction.

“You know… when you mentioned you might be bringing back a guest today, I didn’t think it would be…” He gave Sakura a once over with his singular eye, “Something like that.”

“P-pardon?”

Suppressing a groan, Leo quickly positioned himself between them to make introductions. “Sakura, Niles is the… overseer of the Fields of Punishment.”

“And punisher of false oaths,” He winked at her with his singular eye, “So I hope you fully meant it when you said you will, ah… what was it? ‘Come up with something milord will like’?”

_By the Fates…_

Bewildered, Sakura stumbled over her words as she clarified, “I-I was t-talking about v-vegetation?”

“ _Ohh_ right. Milord's little pet project.” He sounded _so_ disappointed too. Leo was not sorry. At least until Niles got that glint in his eye. “So… do you take suggestions? How does hemlock sound to you?”

“Um…”

“Wolfsbane? Bloodroot?”

“W-well, I-I _could_ ,” she stammered, “B-but those plants are…”

“Henbane? Foxglove? Belladonna?”

Leo sighed. There could be worse suggestions, he supposed, but he should intervene before things got out of hand.. “Niles…”

“...Tomatoes?”

“NILES!”

“What?” Niles asked defensively, “I thought you would approve of the last one at least, milord.”

“I-I can do tomatoes,” Sakura injected quickly.

“See? The little lady is willing to plant you some. You’re not gonna let her down are you?”

It would appear that Leo couldn’t hold back his groan after all. “Shut up, Niles. Don’t you have some punishment to extract?”

“Oh, _touchy_ ,” Niles’s sigh was so affected as he gave Sakura an exasperated look of long-suffering, “See what kind of killjoy I work for? What did Lord Leo promise that got you to agree to this? I can’t imagine it was his _charming_ personality alone.”

 _Are you_ trying _to scare her off?_ Catching his annoyed expression, Niles simply smirked.

Sakura turned pink. “Err… N-Nothing? H-He a-asked m-me if I-I could h-help a-and I agreed...”

“Really now?” The teasing bounce in his voice was still present, but Niles sounded doubtful, “In my experience, gods rarely offered to scratch your back out of the goodness of their hearts. You _want_ something, don’t you? Out with it.”

The goddess took a step back, frantically shaking her head, “N-No! I-I mean, y-yes, I _do_ have my reasons, b-but I swear - on the River Styx - that I mean no h-harm to anyone here!”

 _That’s enough now_. “There you go, Niles,” Leo injected, voice neutral. “An oath on the Styx. That’s good enough for me.” Niles did bring up a very good point though. Leo had always intended to pay Sakura back somehow for her time and effort, but it seemed to be something they neglected to discuss. While he was willing to take Sakura’s word once she swore on the river, his didn’t like the idea of getting something for nothing. He made a mental note to remedy that soon.

Niles relaxed, if only by a technically. “Alright then,” he conceded, “I’ll get out of your hair now. I’m not interested in growing flowers. _Picking_ them on the other hand… Well, you’re gonna have to tell me how that goes, milord.”

* * *

“ _Lady Sakura. I do hope you don’t mind some company while Leo is attending to his duties.”_

“ _N-not at all. Um… y-you are Lady Nyx, I-I believe?”_

“ _Ah, you have heard of me then? I’m honored to hear that.”_

“ _T-the honor is all mine… a-and just ‘Sakura’ is fine.”_

“ _Heh… Alright. Sakura it is then. I hope Niles didn’t rattle you too hard earlier. He’s quite annoying isn’t he?”_

“ _I-I don’t blame him for being suspicious. He’s only looking out for Leo isn’t he?”_

“ _You’re an intuitive one aren’t you?”_

“ _W-well, t-to tell the truth… I was a little suspicious of Leo w-when he came to me too, s-so I thought he might've been thinking along the same lines as I was...”_

“ _Perhaps, but you only did so because of all the nymphs you sheltered in your grove didn't you? In any case, I didn’t come here to talk about Niles, Sakura… I’ve been meaning to speak to you for a long time now.”_

* * *

Somebody was calling his name. He had half a mind to ignore it, thinking it was part of his dream. It couldn't be Elise. She wouldn't try waking him up by simply calling his name. She would _scream_ his name, drawing out the syllables for as long as she can because she knows he found it annoying and then steal his blankets for good measure. Corrin would be a little gentler. No screaming or blanket-stealing, but if Leo wouldn't get up at the mention of freshly brewed coffee, he would find himself awake and alert in response to the splash of salt water on his face.

“...L-Leo? ...Oh, he's asleep. Maybe I should come back later...”

Too high to be Xander, too soft to be Camilla, and lacked the idiosyncrasies of Niles and Odin...

Leo opened his eyes to see Sakura crouching beside him. It took a second for him to recall where he was (the garden) and why he was there (he needed a _break_ ), but regardless the realization that he had not only fallen asleep when he hadn't meant to, but he had been _found_ \- by her of all people - taking a nap when he had duties to attend to was mortifying.

“Sakura,” he acknowledged, allowing some of his surprise to seep through. He sat up to face the goddess at eye level. “I wasn't expecting you.”

The Hoshidan goddess smiled shyly, lacing her fingers together in front of her. “I-I hope you don't mind,” she said quietly. She wasn't stuttering as much around him as before and he considered that a good sign. “Nyx told me you were… um, overtaxing yourself and she thought I could help.”

Leo closed his eyes, allowing himself enjoy the atmosphere for a little bit before. No wind or birds, just the scent of the flowers in bloom. “She did, did she?” _How? You told me only a tree could find another tree…_

“Yes,” Sakura replied. “She was worried for you is all… I-I hope you don't mind. I-I technically wasn’t invited this time, so I wasn’t sure.”

“No, it’s not a problem,” Leo assured her. “Your presence here today was unexpected, but… it is nice to see you, Sakura. It's been a while, hasn't it?”

“It has.” Her smile was sad, but her eyes were sympathetic. “I-I’m sure you know why, I couldn't even send a message. M-most of Hoshido has completed their funeral rites for their dead by now. Odin could take them across the river, but the rest… they're managing.”

“Good…” Leo sighed, “That is… good to hear.”

“Leo?” Sakura’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“I’m fine,” he said, but nonetheless touched by her concern for him, “Don't worry about me. A war just ended up above so I'm only a little tired is all…” He doesn't experience the brunt of its impact himself, but he felt it indirectly through the mortals he judged. So many regrets, things left unsaid to those they left behind, things they failed to do. Looking through their memories, experiencing their thoughts in their last moments and even simply talking to the shades felt more difficult than usual because it was difficult for _them_. They at least had the waters of the Lethe, some needing more persuasion than others to take it, but Leo had no such luxuries.

That had been why he took a respite here rather than in his rooms. At least here, he could pretend he was somewhere else. The fragrances gave him a sense of peace he hasn't felt in a long time, if only temporarily.

“Oh… so that's it.” Sakura dropped her gaze away from him and rose to her feet. “I-I can understand that, I think…”

“Sakura…?” His murmur was quiet, but not so quiet that she wouldn't be able to hear him. Gathering her thoughts, perhaps? Leo watched the goddess of spring walk up to the pomegranate tree she planted on her first day here.

The tree was slim and taller than he was, but when Sakura reached out and beckoned with her her hand, palm down, the branch obediently lowered itself so its fruit was within her reach. She plucked one and turned it in her hands, inspecting the outside for imperfections. She gave no indication that she found any and she returned to his side with it.

“W-what I mean is,” she continued as she sat down next him, her legs tucked beneath her. “I-I rarely see the battlefields, but I see the results… the people that don't d-die in battle. Soldiers dying from infection, sickness being spread. Some survive, but lose part of who they were.”

Leo didn't need to try very hard to imagine it. None of what she described to him was new, but hearing _her_ say it was worse, in a way. “Mortals die all the time, Sakura,” he said softly.

The pomegranate turned in her hands again. “Y-yeah, I know,” she agreed, “I don't dwell on it much, b-but sometimes… sometimes I get attached.”

The image of the two mortals flashed in his mind. “Sakura…” _Asphodel to both. Drank from the Lethe a century or so later. Reborn._ Even knowing that, it can’t have been easy. They wouldn’t have remembered anything about their past lives, even meeting her.

Catching his sympathetic eye, she looked down, embarrassed. “I... I’m sure it must sound foolish to you.”

 _No, it isn’t_ , he wanted to say, but she was already digging her nails into the flesh of the pomegranate. He watched her work her nails along the hemisphere of the fruit, juice dripping through her fingers and staining the white silk of her dress. Her lips pursed and brows furrowed in concentration and he couldn’t help but notice that she was very beautiful. Not the way Camilla was, _never_ the way Camilla was, but did that make her any less so?

There was a soft crackling sound of Sakura splitting the pomegranate into two. She held one half in each hand, showing him the ruby-like seeds nestled in the fleshy white pockets. Setting one half down, she picked a seed out in the other and held it on the center of her palm. “I-It looks good,” she said, “Better than I imagined…” Dropping the seed to the ground where it burrowed into the dirt, Sakura offered him both halves of the fruit with a shy smile. “I-I guess you will have to tell me if they taste just as sweet.”

It was a shame that she wouldn’t be able to sample her own creation for herself, but Leo nonetheless thanked her, silently promising to savor it in her steed. He plucked out a seed and surveyed it himself before biting down on it, teeth breaking through the sac and the juice contained in it ruptured on his tongue, sharp and tart.

Sakura was watching him, anticipating his reaction, his critique. Perhaps one seed was too little for him to make a proper judgement, so he ate another and another and before he knew it an entire sixth was picked clean.

“W-well?”

“Sweet.” Leo raised his hand to his lips and replied, “ _Much_ better tasting than asphodel roots.”

“R-really?” She clasped her hands together, the delight on her face utterly endearing. “You like it?” 

“Mmhmm…” He nodded, licking the last of the sticky red juice off his fingers. “I have to ask though… This was the first thing you planted here, so why a pomegranate tree?

Sakura looked taken aback at his question. “W-why? U-um...” She laced her fingers together and hid her mouth behind them as she blushed harder. “Well… I-I guess it would be because… because of what it represents, so I… Um, Leo?”

“What is it?”

“Can I tell you something?” she asked tentatively. “Something you c-can’t tell anyone else, not even your family?”

He frowned. “Sakura… you know I can’t make a promise like that without knowing what it is you wish to tell me.”

“Well alright,” Sakura took a deep death. “This garden, no… _you_ made me realize I-I’m more powerful than I thought. So I was thinking… m-maybe I can undo the curse… the curse my mother laid on Nohr so long ago.”

That made Leo straighten. “Truly?” As excited as he was for the prospect, he knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as she made it sound. Chthonia wasn't ruled by the same laws as the world above. Prayer and worship from mortals would be needed for Sakura to recreate what she did down here, but he was fairly certain she had no followers and therefore very limited power on the Nohrian side of the Bottomless Canyon. “It’s not going to be easy, I imagine.”

“I know. I w-will try my best, just as I did for you here…” She looked away, embarrassed. “I-I just didn't want anyone else to know… In case I can't, so...”

“No, I understand. You don’t want to disappoint anyone by getting their hopes up for nothing, is that right?”

Sakura nodded, drawing her legs up and hugging them to her chest. Leo picked out another seed. “For what it’s worth, Sakura. I think that if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

His praise made her blush. Burying her face behind her knees, he heard her muffled “Th-thank you...” and he couldn’t help but smile at her humility.

“In any case… I guess your work here is done.” He always known it was coming, but saying those words out loud left him more disappointed than he anticipated. “Sakura…”

“Hmm?”

“This field... you filled it with trees and flowers when I could not, so... I think you should have the honor of naming it.”

“N-naming i-it?” She wiped her hands on her dress, red stains on white. “I-I don’t know… What if you don’t like the name I come up with?”

“Well, if you don’t name it, Odin probably would,” he told her with a smirk, “Between you and me, I don’t know if I want to call this place the ‘High Temple of Austere Majesty’ or something of its ilk.”

She giggled into her hand. “B-but there isn’t even a temple in here…”

“I might choose to build one on a whim,” he shrugged, “Still, give it a try? If you just want to suggest a couple names and let me make the final decision, that would be fine as well.”

Sakura smiled now. “W-well okay… I will try to think of one…” She gazed over the field, surveying everything that was growing because of her. Eyes a million miles away as she thought. “There’s this word, in the old Vallite language…” she said, “What do you think about ‘Elysium’?”

* * *

“You look well, Leo. I was afraid that the influx of the dead from last war have left you overworked.”

“No more than usual,” Leo replied, producing two goblets out of the aether and taking the bottle of wine Xander had brought with him. “At least let me have the illusion of playing host to your visit, brother.”

Xander quirked a smile and relented. “I have to admit… I was expecting you to be in a more dour mood.”

Shrugging, Leo didn't take his eyes off the wine as he replied, “I've been down here for four thousand years, I like to think I have everything under control. Lots of casualties, sure, but not so many that I was overwhelmed. Most of them ended up in Asphodel. A few war criminals are at Cocytus, but none of them have been definitely sentenced to the Fields of Punishment yet.”

Xander nodded approvingly. “Good,” he said, “I never meant to imply anything about your abilities. I know I made the right choice when I appointed you to this place.”

 _Even your brother understood this on an instinctive level. He wouldn't have given you this lot otherwise_... Leo bit his tongue. Nyx’s words weren't making him question Xander’s decisions, just curious about his motivations.

“I presume you understand why this last war happened?”

“Famine in Nohr and the king is imposing taxes his people can't pay with the last drought and the Hoshidan king isn't helping any because he's too bone headed to get over that little spat from two years back?”

His brother sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes. Sometimes Leo had to muse at the irony of it. Xander, King of Mount Krakenberg and a god of war who was utterly tired of fighting. “Yes… that is the gist of it.”

Leo poured a little more wine into one cup and handed that one to Xander. “You aren't here to talk about that though,” he said, “When you walked into my halls, you do so with the fervor of a man with purpose… Cheers.”

Xander took one long sip and placed the cup on the yew table. “Yes and no.” Leo raised a questioning eyebrow, urging him to continue. “I think I need to start from the beginning. You see… some Nohrian farmers claim they saw a maid of Hoshidan bearing on their fields. They thought she was a spy or some other kind of miscreant, but she would vanish a moment later and they swear up and down that their crops seemed healthier than before.”

 _Sakura_. Leo quickly took a drink from his cup lest Xander saw his almost-smile. Though she didn't seem to be very successful, he was pleased to hear that she was following through on her promise. “Is that so?”

“It wasn't just _one_ incident,” Xander answered. “Others along the border reported similar sightings and the girl they describe is the same in all of them. Leo… I’m fairly sure that girl is the Hoshidan goddess Sakura.”

He couldn't explain why that gave him a sense of ill-boding, so Leo forced his feelings down and prompted his brother. “...And?”

Xander took a deep breath. “I intend to ask Ryoma for her hand.”

 _That_ certainly wasn't what he had been expecting to hear. Leo didn't pay the cup he dropped any mind, nor the living shadow of a servant that drifted out of the darkness to clean up the spilled wine. Likewise, Xander certainly hadn't expected _Leo_ to react in such a way and his concerned expression said as much. “Leo?”

“It-it's nothing,” he stammered. _Dammit_. Clearing his throat, he continued in a steadier voice. “Sorry, I was surprised is all. Why Sakura though? Forgive me for making assumptions brother, but she doesn't really strike me as… your type.”

“Because I’ve been thinking… Leo, do you remember that unnaturally bountiful period just before the Praxidike cast her curse?”

“Barely. That was a long time ago.”

The smile on Xander’s face was strained. “I remember clearly. I don’t think I could ever forget Father cutting Sumeragi into pieces with his own sword…” He didn’t need to finish. _Cut into pieces and thrown into Tartarus_ , Leo was well aware. Guarding the abyss was another one of Leo’s duties, though an unspoken and unacknowledged one.

“His widow was taken prisoner with Corrin,” Xander continued. “Without her, Hoshido weakened and withered while Nohr prospered. She realized this and cast her curse. Iago claimed that she said so long as Father rules Krakenberg, she will keep the mortal lands barren and will not bless our harvests.”

“...And yet you intend to bring her daughter into our fold?”

“Father…” Xander trailed off, but quickly recovered. “Father has been overthrown. He no longer rules us, but I can’t say for sure that the Praxidike’s curse no longer holds sway over us. Her daughter… _her_ powers _would_ be of benefit to us. I can’t believe I never thought of this before...”

“I see…” _Xander is a good man. He will treat her well and marrying him would give Sakura jurisdiction in Nohr to do what she wanted to do anyway..._ It took everything Leo has learned over his existence about hiding his thoughts and putting on a mask to not let it show how much the thought bothered him. He had always been resigned with staying in Xander’s shadow, accepting him as the eldest, Father’s heir, and now the ruler of all the Nohrian gods, and yet... the thought of Sakura in _Xander’s_ arms, as _Xander’s_ wife was truly _enraging_.

Leo coughed once and asked, “Would Ryoma agree to this?”

“I don't know,” Xander admitted. “But I believe it’s worth asking.”

“...And Sakura?”

“I intend to speak with her as well, of course.” Leo knew his brother well enough to see the distress in his features when they were there. “She… I’ve spoken to Azura about her and she seems to be kind of character. Elise approves. She and Sakura became friends during the war with the Silent Dragon and would like to spend more time with her, something her withdrawn nature prevented.”

“You certainly put a lot of thought into this,” Leo observed, his fist clenching under the table.

“I do what I do for Nohr.”

 _Right. For Nohr. Sakura herself never factored into this has she?_ “Of course.” _Would she accept his proposal? She’s not a mortal. She can refuse even if Ryoma agreed to it, but… would she?_

“...Leo?” Xander's brow was furrowed in concern. He wore that face often. Too often. Being with Sakura did much for his turmoil. If she could do the same for Xander in that respect as well, who was Leo to deny his brother such peace of mind?

_Fates, help me. It turns out that I am more selfish than I always thought…_

* * *

It was difficult for him to hear the music that signaled the start of the festival after he had fallen silent. She gaped up at him, her eyes widened in shock and she raised a hand to her lips.

“A-a-are you sure?” Sakura spluttered, “I-I n-never h-heard… R-Ryoma _would_ h-have t-told me s-something t-this important wouldn’t he...? I-I mean… r-right?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Leo replied, “Why would I lie to you about something like this?” Like her, he was cloaked and hooded in a plain attire that would not make him look out of place among the peasants returning from a day on the field. He had dithered for a week before coming to find her, his conscience preventing him from doing so without giving Xander a chance first.

But now that he knew Xander’s intentions for her was a complete surprise to her, he had to wonder if he’d been hasty. Unlike their father, his older brother had never been particularly good with women, despite numerous nymphs, mortals and minor goddesses all but throwing themselves at his feet when he walked past. Maybe he needed more time to brace himself?

Or maybe he _did_ discuss the matter with Ryoma, had been refused, and the god of thunder simply hadn’t thought it was necessary to worry Sakura over an engagement that didn’t come to pass?

Sakura shook her head. “I-I suppose not… I’m just surprised that your brother…” She tightened her hold on the sheaf of grain in her arms.

“Are you scared of him?” Leo asked softly, “I know you have no love for war, but Xander… He’s a good man.”

“I-I’m sure he is,” She managed to muster up a smile over her disarray regarding the matter. “How can I judge someone solely by their domains after meeting you?”

Leo swallowed, trying to think about anything other than how kissable her curved mouth seemed to be at the moment. “I’m not sure if he was turned down by your brother or if he simply hasn’t asked yet, but Sakura… _if_ your brother had given his blessings, if it were up to you… would you marry Xander?” _There_. That was what he so desperately wanted to know. He’s prepared for disappointment, especially since it was _Xander_ , but he needed to hear it directly from her.

“It’s… hard to say,” She confessed, looking down in guilt. “If Ryoma thought it would be for the best… I w-would find it hard to refuse him, but...”

“But...?”

“B-b-but I-I w-wouldn’t w-want to!” She was holding her grain like a clutch, like she would disintegrate like petals on the wind if she loosened her grip for just a moment. Blushing madly, she hung her head, ashamed that she was admitting that she would go against her brother. “B-because th-there’s s-someone else… s-someone I-I’ve been a-admiring from afar for a long time now…”

Her eyes darted upwards and the _look_ she was giving him told him everything else. Unable to stop himself, Leo took a step forward. The index and middle fingers of his left hand pressed against the back of her neck as he leaned closer to her. Tilting his head sideways, Leo had the split-second glimpse of her eyes widening in realization before he closed his and pressed his lips against her’s. Her lips had the softness of a petal, slightly parted in a gasp of surprise, but one that quickly turned into a soft moan. Moist and sweet, kissing her was like drinking freshly fallen rainwater after a long drought.

She raised herself to her tiptoes and he felt the faintest weight of one hand on his left shoulder, the grain falling to the side. She’s not pulling away like he feared she would. Emboldened by her response, Leo raised his hand from her neck to cradle her head and pressed the other against the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. Her body was flush and pliant against his. When her bare leg brushed against his, he felt like where she touched him was set ablaze in a way he never had been before. She smelled of newly opened plum blossoms and holding her was like embracing frozen sunlight. Sakura wasn’t _just_ the goddess of spring, she _was_ spring itself. Sunlight and spring chasing away the gloom and darkness of his existence, she was everything that was denied to him since becoming the Lord of the Dead.

Overwhelmed, but reluctant, Leo finally had to pull away, if just to _breathe_. Sakura lowered herself back onto the soles of her feet, her eyes still closed. She was blushing, her cheeks just barely lighter in color than her hair. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gazed up at him through her lashes.

“I love you,” Leo said, his voice sounding huskier, even to him. That kiss hadn’t been enough, he wanted _more_. He wanted to run his hands down her sides and trace the curves of her body, find the parts where she liked being touched, liked being kissed. Most importantly, he simply wanted to be with her, wanted to walk with her hand-in-hand. Sun or shade, it mattered not as long as he was with her.

He didn’t think it was possible for her to get any redder. She pressed her forehead to his clavicle, holding onto him for support. “This is so embarrassing…”

Chuckling, Leo brought his arms around her, resting his cheek against her hair. “Is being with me _that_ bad, Sakura?” _Someone I’ve been admiring from afar…_ How could he not laugh at the irony? All that worrying for nothing.

“N-no… of course not.” She laid her head against him. “I-I j-just never thought y-you would feel the same. When you first came to me and asked me to grow you a garden in the Underworld… I was so happy. Just being able to d-do something for you, give you something you want… that was enough.”

“Sakura…”

“S-sorry…” She slipped out of his arms, but her hands came down to hold his. “I’m… making this awkward, aren’t I?”

Leo dared to place a kiss on her temple. “Never,” he murmured. She giggled softly.

“Leo, I… If I married you instead...” His heart leaped. She frowned and backed away from him once. When he gave her a questioning look, she shook her head, holding her left arm. “N-no, I-I c-can’t ask you for this... It’s too selfish of me...”

Unable to resist letting out a laugh - wasn’t it _his_ selfishness that led them to this point? - Leo smirked down at her. “Ask anyway,” he insisted. At this point, he was ready to drape her in an elaborate, gaudy dress of silver and diamonds if she asked.

“A-alright…” Sakura picked up the sheaf she had dropped during their kiss. Brushing the dust and dirt off the package, bent grains straightened when she touched it. “Leo… I-I don’t know if my siblings would approve, but even if they never forgive me… I don’t wish to abandon my people... the mortals that depend on me for my crops.”

“I already ask for too much from you,” Leo said as he brought forth a seed into his hand. A moment later, a single asphodel bloomed right then and there. “I've been practicing,” he explained, plucking the stem from the roots and tucked the white bloom behind her ear, “But asphodel is the only thing that responds to my magic like this, unfortunately.”

She touched the petals, smiling. “Not at all...”

 _The asphodel or that I ask too much from you?_ He traced her jaw until he was holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger as he wondered. “L-Leo?”

Closing his eyes to savor the moment, he brushed his lips against hers briefly, not trusting himself for anything more. Lowering his hand, he took a step back, deeper into the shadow of the house they were standing in. “I want you to be by my side, always,” he confessed, “But someone like you doesn't belong in the land of the dead.”

“Not any more you do…”

“I have _always_ belonged in the shadows, Sakura, metaphorical or otherwise,” Leo said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “Xander’s… Corrin’s… At least with the Underworld, I don’t have to worry about outrunning their's.”

She shook her head and reached out to take both his hands into her’s. She moved a little ways backwards, the gentle smile he loved so much on her face, taking her with him. He could hear the music more clearly now. It was louder now. More people...

“M-maybe it’s time then, for you to see what it is like in the light?” Sakura suggested, “A-and then… _then_ we can decide what to do next.”

* * *

“Any luck?”

“None. There's no sign of her anywhere. Like she simply vanished.”

Ryoma slammed his fist into the wall. It was only Shirasagi’s magic that prevented him from punching a hole through it. Sakura. His little sister. She should have been safe, protected in the cherry grove where she was born. Away from other gods, but at least she would be _safe_.

_Mikoto’s prophecy…_

Hinoka was looking so tired. For her, this was history repeating. Last time, it was their parents and their alleged half-brother. This time, it was only Sakura, but Ryoma knew she was taking it as difficulty because of how they had spent the last thousands of years trying to _prevent_ it.

The king of Shirasagi remembered how the titaness of prophecy had smiled sadly when he decided that Sakura was to live in as much secrecy as possible. He couldn't protect their mother, but he could protect the little sister she had managed to birth against all odds. The Nohrian gods must _not_ know about her. If they did, Ryoma feared that they would try to take her away like they did their parents and Corrin. That was what he believed back then, but now…

“What I don’t understand is why Xander would do something like this,” Ryoma said slowly. In hindsight, he had to admit that his immediate refusal of Xander’s offer for her hand would have seemed suspicious. Like he had something to hide, which would be the truth if Xander had suspected it to be the case. The Nohrian war god had not pushed the matter afterwards, not even trying to persuade him otherwise, but still… he had given up _too easily_. Ryoma cursed himself for not seeing the possible consequences sooner.

Sighing deeply, he covered his face in his hands. “Perhaps I'm being unfair,” he acquitted, “He’s not his father. I don’t know him as well as Corrin does, but taking her anyway… it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing he would do”

“That’s because it _wasn’t_ Xander who was responsible.”

The air around them became silent and turned cold as a third voice interjected. In unison, Ryoma and Hinoka whirled around to meet the gaze of their youngest brother. The archer had spoken so softly, strode up to his elder siblings in a manner so deceptively calm, Ryoma initially thought Takumi had brought good news regarding their sister.

That thought went away with little delay when he saw the sheer rage and hate burning in his brother’s eyes.

“Xander didn’t do this,” Takumi repeated with utmost certainty. His grip on his bow tightening in one hand, he held out his other to show Ryoma and Hinoka the single item he was holding. Not an arrow, but a white flower with six petals with a red center and filaments of a similar hue.

Ryoma recognized it at once and his blood turned cold.

“I saw the way he looked at her in Gyges...” Takumi spat, throwing the accursed flower down. “I saw it and I did _nothing!_ Xander didn’t take Sakura, big brother.” The gale stirring up in the halls of the palace caused the asphodel bloom to scatter as the temperature continued to drop further. Even in his armor, Ryoma found himself shivering. _This cold… it's not natural..._

“His... brother did. The Unseen One, the Receiver... _Leo_.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot
> 
> I'm not going to recap every reference to Greek Mythology in this fic, but here are a couple I think I should explain:
> 
> "Chthonia" means "of the earth." I use it here mainly as a name for the underworld, but the name can refer to a number of figures in Greek mythology. It's also an epithet for chthonic/subterranean gods such as Demeter and Hecate.
> 
> “Praxidike” is an epithet of Persephone (used in Orphic Hymns). It means both “justice” and “vengeance” since the Greeks considered them to be closely related. Sometimes it refers to a trio goddesses representing the same concepts.
> 
> The word “Elysium” may have come from Eleusis, the town where the Eleusian Mysteries was founded and took place. In the myths, Demeter came here disgusted as an old woman during her search for Persephone. Alternatively, it may have been derived from eleusô/eleuthô, which means “to relieve/to release [from pain or troubles]”. This was what Sakura was thinking of when she suggested the name.
> 
> Last Edit: 12/2/2016


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